Madhur Bhandarkar Mourns Raghu Rai’s Death: ‘His Camera Was A Compass For Truth’ | Bollywood News

Last Updated:April 26, 2026, 22:00 IST

Madhur Bhandarkar mourns Raghu Rai’s death, calling the legendary photographer’s camera “a compass for truth.”

Madhur Bhandarkar paid tribute to legendary photographer Raghu Rai, recalling how he helped him during Indu Sarkar research.

Legendary photographer Raghu Rai, widely regarded as one of India’s most important visual chroniclers, passed away at a private hospital in Delhi on Sunday. He was 83. His son, photographer Nitin Rai, confirmed that Rai had been battling cancer for the past two years.

Following his death, filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar paid an emotional tribute to the celebrated photographer, recalling how Rai had helped him during the research of his film Indu Sarkar.

Madhur Bhandarkar Remembers Raghu Rai

Taking to X, Madhur shared a picture with Raghu Rai and wrote, “Sad to hear of Raghu Rai’s sir demise. During my research for the film #InduSarkar, he gave great insight into India’s Emergency. His camera was a compass for truth, and his work a meditation on life. Sir you will be deeply missed and forever celebrated.”

Indu Sarkar was based on the 21-month Emergency imposed in India between 1975 and 1977 under then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Rai, whose work captured several defining chapters of modern Indian history, had offered Bhandarkar valuable insight into that turbulent period.

Who Was Raghu Rai?

Raghu Rai was one of India’s most acclaimed photographers and photojournalists. Over the course of his career, he produced more than 18 books and founded the Raghu Rai Centre for Photography in Haryana in 2016. He was also honoured with the Padma Shri and the Lucie Foundation’s Master of Photojournalism award.

Born on December 18, 1942, in Jhang, Punjab, now in Pakistan, Rai discovered photography almost by chance in the 1960s after borrowing a camera from his elder brother S Paul. What began as an accidental encounter with the medium eventually became a lifelong pursuit that took him to Magnum Photos and saw his work featured in international publications such as Time, Life and The New Yorker.

Rai began his professional career in the mid-1960s and joined The Statesman in New Delhi as a photographer in 1965. During his early years, he documented major national events and, in 1968, visited Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s ashram when The Beatles were there.

A Lens That Captured India’s Turning Points

Across decades, Raghu Rai’s camera bore witness to some of India’s most historic and haunting moments. His work spanned the Bangladesh Liberation War, the Bhopal gas tragedy and the quiet spiritual rhythm of the Ganga ghats.

Known for his strong preference for emotional truth over decorative imagery, Rai once said in a 2016 conversation with Hindustan Times at the Panchkula Art and Literary Festival, “Colour photographs tend to lack seriousness. The colours are exaggerated; not real.”

His Final Years And Relief Work

Even in his later years, Rai remained connected to humanitarian causes. He supported a relief initiative for victims of the devastating floods that submerged over a thousand villages in Punjab in the latter half of 2025.

The initiative, titled Prints of Punjab, was conceived by his daughter Avani Rai, also a photographer. It was aimed at raising funds for on-ground relief and rehabilitation efforts by Global Sikhs, with support from Method India. The initiative also highlighted the resilience of affected communities through the Sikh concept of Chardi Kala.

Raghu Rai leaves behind a vast body of work that did more than document India. It interpreted the country’s pain, beauty, contradictions and spirit with rare sensitivity.